1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a medical apparatus and systems and more particularly to introducing and supporting a plurality of tubes extending in side-by-side relation into a patient through the patient's mouth, when the patient is unconscious as during surgery, or during other procedures referred to as endotracheal intubation.
2. History of the Prior Art
While carrying out both surgical and examination procedures on a patient, it is often necessary to introduce a variety of tubes simultanously through the mouth and throat of the patient. At the same time that anesthesia is being administered to the patient, such procedures as microlaryngeal surgery and examination procedures such microlaryngoscopy may be performed on a patient. To simultaneously give anesthesia and perform an examination or surgery through the throat of a patient, it is desirable to have means for separately supporting tubes in parallel relationship extending into the patient's mouth and downwardly through the pharynx, the upper part of the esophagus, the larynx, and the trachea. It is desirable that such tubes extend through separate defined passageways so that one may be easily inserted or removed without disturbing the other. Such procedures involve the use of either a straight or a curved cannula, depending upon the particular procedures performed. A straight cannula may be used for cases under direct vision like microlaryngeal surgery. A curved cannula may be used with fibre optic light devices as in microlaryngoscopy. Both straight and curved cannula provide the opportunity to achieve endotracheal intubation with the fibre optic aid of the bronchoscope with a light.
A number of devices are known for supporting and guiding one or more tubes through the throat of a patient for a variety of purposes. Examples of various types of such devices are shown in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,498,810 issued June 24, 1924 to J. G. Poe; U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,215 issued Aug. 16, 1938 to J. T. Gwathmey; U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,521 issued June 3, 1952 to R. A. Berman; U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,959 issued Apr. 12, 1955 to Cal Elmore U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,244 issued Sept. 4, 1973 to John M. Kinnear, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,665 issued Sept. 30, 1975 to John A. Moses; U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,970 issued Apr. 22, 1980 to Raymond Luomanen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,099 issued Mar. 17, 1981 to Gale E. Dryden; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,320 issued Dec. 14, 1982 to Michael Cossove. While these patents show a variety of cannula designs, none of them show or suggest the specific designs of the present invention and methods and apparatus for adjustably and securely supporting the devices while they are being used for both surgery and examination. Such apparatus as face plates has been used to hold a cannula in place.